Bacterial vaginosis (BV), the world's most common vaginal infection, continues to cost patients time, energy, comfort and money. BV is associated with increased incidence of sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), spontaneous abortion, pre-term labour, post-surgical infections, and endometritis. Current treatment for those women symptomatic for BV includes both oral and intravaginal antibiotics, such as metronidazole, which have success rates of 70-80 % at 1 month after treatment. These treatments also have high recurrence rates (49-66 % at one year after treatment) and side effects (10-20 % of women) that include secondary vaginal infection with candida. Intravaginal boric acid has been used for >100 years for the treatment of vaginal infections and is quite commonly prescribed today as a treatment for BV. It is cheap, easily accessible, easy to use, and is an effective treatment of other vaginal infections, such as candida. To date, there are no clinical trials studying the effectiveness of boric acid in the treatment of BV.

Objectives: To determine whether boric acid is at least as effective and as safe as metronidazole for treating women with symptomatic BV, our study will compare intravaginal boric acid to the current standard intravaginal treatment, metronidazole, and to a placebo. Our goal is to expand women's options for the treatment of BV. Hypothesis: Boric acid is an effective treatment of bacterial vaginosis as compared to placebo. Boric acid is at least as effective and as safe in the treatment of bacterial vaginosis as compared to metronidazole.

Effectiveness of treatment of intravaginal boric acid and metronidazole at 1 week and 30 days post-treatment will be measured as absence of symptoms or negative vaginal swab (Nugent score less than 7) if symptoms are present for BV. [ Time Frame: 1 month ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Secondary Outcome Measures:

If during the 10 days of treatment of intravaginal boric acid and metronidazole the patient discontinues the treatment because of side effects or complained of intolerable side effects this will be considered a treatment failure for safety. [ Time Frame: 1 month ] [ Designated as safety issue: No ]

Women will be included whether their complaint is symptoms of BV and have a positive whiff test/vaginal swab or if they have a positive whiff test/vaginal swab and are then asked if they have any symptoms of BV present. The following criteria must be met for enrolment in the study:

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Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00799214